Air To Ground Communication System With Separate Control and Traffic Channels

1. A base station within a network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells, the base station comprising: an antenna array defining a plurality of wedge shaped ATG communication sectors having respective widths defined in azimuth; a beamforming control module configured to communicate with the antenna array via a first RF chain to perform beamforming defining traffic channel beams having a first width, and a second RF chain to perform beamforming defining control channel beams having a second width, the second width being greater than the first width, and a remote radio head operably coupled to the antenna array and the beamforming control module, wherein the remote radio head receives location information to enable the remote radio head to employ the first RF chain to provide the traffic channel beams to an aircraft while tracking the aircraft, and wherein both of the traffic channel beams and the control channel beams are further defined to be limited in elevation between two elevation angles to define a wedge shaped coverage area extending away from the base station.

2. The base station of claim 1, wherein the beamforming control module is configured to generate the traffic channel beams and the control channel beams simultaneously via the first and second RF chains, respectively.

3. The base station of claim 1, wherein the second width is substantially equal to a width of each ATG communication sector.

4. The base station of claim 3, wherein the first width is about 2 degrees to about 5 degrees in azimuth.

5. The base station of claim 1, wherein the second width is about two to ten times larger than the first width.

6. The base station of claim 1, wherein each ATG communication sector is about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees wide in azimuth.

7. The base station of claim 1, wherein all ATG communication sectors of the base station employ separate transmit and receive channels.

8. The base station of claim 7, wherein the separate transmit and receive channels of the base station are different than transmit and receive channels of each adjacent base station of the network.

9. The base station of claim 1, wherein the antenna array is fed by both the first and second RF chains to enable the antenna array to have one physical structure but functionally act as two different antennas.

10. The base station of claim 1, wherein the remote radio head is provided proximate to the antenna array at a top portion of a tower or mast associated with the base station.

11. A network for providing air-to-ground (ATG) wireless communication in various cells, comprising: a first ATG base station having a first antenna array defining a plurality of first sectors having respective widths defined in azimuth; and a second ATG base station having a second antenna array defining a plurality of second sectors having respective widths defined in azimuth, wherein the first ATG base station and the second ATG base station are disposed offset from each other along a first direction, wherein each of the first and second ATG base stations includes a beamforming control module configured to communicate with the first and second antenna arrays, respectively, via a first RF chain to perform beamforming defining traffic channel beams having a first width, and a second RF chain to perform beamforming defining control channel beams having a second width, the second width being greater than the first width, wherein each of the first ATG base station and the second ATG base station comprises a remote radio head operably coupled to the beamforming control module and the first and second antenna arrays, wherein the remote radio head receives location information to enable the remote radio head to employ the second RF chain to provide the traffic channel beams to an aircraft while tracking the aircraft, and wherein both of the traffic channel beams and the control channel beams are further defined to be limited in elevation between two elevation angles to define a wedge shaped coverage area extending away from the first or second ATG base stations.

12. The network of claim 11, wherein the beamforming control module is configured to generate the traffic channel beams and the control channel beams simultaneously via the first and second RF chains, respectively.

13. The network of claim 11, wherein the second width is substantially equal to a width of each sector.

14. The network of claim 13, wherein the first width is about 2 degrees to about 5 degrees in azimuth.

15. The network of claim 11, wherein the second width is about two to ten times larger than the first width.

16. The network of claim 11, wherein each sector is about 30 degrees to about 60 degrees wide in azimuth.

17. The network of claim 11, wherein all sectors of the first and second ATG base stations employ separate transmit and receive channels.

18. The network of claim 17, wherein the separate transmit and receive channels of the first ATG base station are different than transmit and receive channels of the second ATG base station.

19. The network of claim 11, wherein the antenna array is fed by both the first and second RF chains to enable the first and second antenna arrays to each have one physical structure but functionally act as two different antennas.

20. The network of claim 11, wherein the remote radio head is provided proximate to the antenna array at a top portion of a tower or mast associated with the base station.